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After close on 20 years of ruling England, William had become increasingly aware that there was considerable confusion and, even some chaos in the land. The imposition of the Norman Conquerors on the traditional English society had not only caused tremendous resentment, but also uncertainties over land tenure. The then system of government, feudalism, meant that the land was held either directly by the king or by the barons as his tenants-in-chief. It was from these twin sources of landowner and landlord, that the king drew his wealth and, in reality, the power to rule. The Royal Court spent the Christmas of 1085 at Gloucester, and it was there that William ordered a nationwide enquiry into the wealth of England. The King appointed eight 'panels' of commissioners to conduct this massive undertaking. The commissioners made circuits of their allotted shires, and took an elaborate inventory of the royal estates and manors of the King's tenants. The documents were then sent to Winchester, at that time the 'administrative capital', where the clerks to the Treasury catalogued the information. The manner of the enquiry was by means of the 'Sworn Inquest'. Answers were given under oath to a fixed list of particular questions. In these formal sessions the nobility were dealt with first, and then the Commissioners examined the 'hundreds'. For each 'hundred', or district, a jury (part French and part English) provided the answers. Lastly at village level, the reeve, or headman, priest and six villagers would be called to present their evidence. The land throughout was divided into hides (equivalent to about 120 acres) and the Commissioners sought answers to such questions as its ploughing capacity, the number of fish ponds, mills, animals, villeins and serfs it contained. Domesday, which means 'the record from which there is no appeal', was completed in 1086 and the work catalogued in 1087, just before the death of William. There were two 'volumes'; Great Domesday covered most of England and Little Domesday, which covered East Anglia.
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About the Author: Ken Austin has lived in France for 15 years, is a webmaster and a writer of stories. He and his wife, Linda, run a holiday rentals business in the Dordogne region.
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